Spiritual tour of the Indian char dhams, the four holy temples and Hindu pilgrimage sites Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath known for salvation and peace. Check Char Dham Yatra details for sightseeing, accommodation and transport services. In India, Char Dham Yatra is a sacred journey across the four Hindu pilgrimages of India, which the devotees undertake in search of peace and salvation (moksha). Across the lofty mountains of Uttarakhand, the Char Dham Yatra is revered as one of the trips which one should take at least once in a lifetime. The journey includes visiting the holy shrines of the gods and goddesses, offering prayers and observing religious practices. While traditionally, the yatra was considered the ultimate desire of every Hindu and challenged by financial and conveyance, today the Charm Dham yatra packages have made the journey impressively easy. Char Dham Yatra captures the journey of a pilgrim across four Hindu Pilgrim sites as a life-changing, bliss-endearing and karma- exterminating process as a blessing of the divine! Why should one take the Char Dham Yatra? According to Hinduism, Char Dham yatra or the Teerth yatra is one of the five duties of being a Hindu. Having following the sanskara, worship, dharma, and religious practices, the journey to the four pilgrim shrines are known to be the true test of his will power and faith. Having taken the Chardham tours with strong dedication and belief, the journey of life for a Hindu is construed to be complete. It is a life-changing experience for not just a Hindu, but any traveler, to undertake a journey so beautiful, educating and reveling that travelers from around the world take the Char Dham tours for reflecting on their inner selves. Yamunotri – the Origin of River Yamuna At an altitude of 3293metres in the Garhwal district of Himalayas, Yamunotri is the source of Yamuna River and the seat of Goddess Yamuna, the Yamunotri is pious and sacred. This 19th-century temple built by the Maharani of Jaipur holds a story of sage Asit who couldn’t visit Gangotri owing to his old age. It is when he rested at this place and prayed to Ganga that a source of Ganga River emerged from rock and fulfilled his wishes. At the Yamunotri dham travel, the pilgrims worship a black marble idol of Goddess Yamuna and take a dip at the sacred hot spring called Suraj-Kund, outside the temple. How to reach Yamunotri? The 4 Dham package trip begins with Yamunotri. A drive from Delhi to Rishikesh is followed by a trip to Jankichatti where the pilgrims have to take the Yamunotri trek for 7kms to reach the temple. Fact: There are special nri char dham tours conducted as the four pilgrims are a major source of learning and enlightenment around the world today! Gangotri – the origin of River Ganga On the banks of river Bhagirathi, Gangotri is the origin of the holy River Ganges. This Hindu pilgrim temple is located at a height of 3100metres celebrating the oncoming of Goddess Ganga, the Hindu deity known to land on earth to clear off the sins of King Bhagirath. Since the folds of mythology, River Ganga is believed to be sacred with its pure water being called ‘Amrit’ or Holy Nectar with the potential to clean sins and rejuvenate. This temple is blessed with the natural beauty of the altitude along with the spiritual feeling one experiences when they reach the temple. Hindus believe a trip to Gangotri is more of a calling than a trip. Journey: From Jankichatti, take a drive to Uttarkashi (approx. 350kms) and then a short drive to Gangotri town. As a gateway to the omnipresent, Uttarakhand is often referred to as DevBhoomi –Home of the Gods owing to the presence of the four Dhams where the seekers find salvation, peace, forgiveness, and enlightenment. Kedarnath – one of the 12 Shiva Jyotirlingas On the source of Mandakini River, Kedarnath is one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites dedicated to Lord Shiva with kedarnath tourism the biggest in India. At an altitude of 3586metres and surrounded by snowcovered mountains, this 1000-year-old temple is believed to be one of the twelve jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. The origin of the temple reveres around the story where the Pandavas carved this temple out of a mountain to absolve themselves of the sins of killing people during the Mahabharata war. A trip to kedarnath is believed to absolve sins. The kedarnath travel guide arrange for various mediums through which pilgrims can trek to the temple with ease – including hiring the guide for kedarnath trek for easy transport to temple! Journey: Drive from Uttarakashi to Rudraprayag to offer prayers at the meeting point of Mandakini and Alaknanda river. Drive to Gaurikund and trek 14kms to reach Kedarnath! After the visit, the pilgrims can book badrinath tour packages from Kedarnath for their journey forward. Badrinath – the home of Lord Vishnu Badrinath yatra is a sacred holy pilgrimage, the fourth destination of the journey with the most colorful temple sitting at the origin of the Alaknanda river of Govindghat in Uttarakhand. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the temple’s inner sanctum has a black stone idol of Lord Vishnu sitting under a canopy. It is believed that Lord Vishnu took Badrinath as his meditation point and sat in Yogdhyani posture. Other tales are revolving around Adi Shankara and his installations. But for Hindu pilgrims, Badrinath remains as the place to worship Lord Vishnu and the origin of River Alaknanda. Journey: Tour operators for badrinath drive down from Kedarnath to Rudraprayag and take the 160kms journey through the route of Joshimath and Govindghat, all the way to Badrinath. P.S. The char dham yatra in India completes as you reach back to Rishikesh and take the route to Delhi. Following the traditional rules, book Charm Dham yatra packages that take you from West to East i.e. starting from Yamunotri and ending at Badrinath. The trip through twisty turvy roads of Uttarakhand is a pleasant ride with feelings of spiritualism in the air. It’s a journey of a lifetime that sets one free from Karma and blesses with the existence of the divine! Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com Mark Weston is a writer by profession and he enjoys sharing his ideas to help people finding best places to visit and plan their holiday packages. He writes for Shikhar.com where you can find a wide range of family holiday packages all across the globe.